Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

What is permaculture?When we started our eco village in 1987, we also took on the practice of permaculture as the discipline around the use of land here. Permaculture was inventing in the seventies by two Australians David Holmgren and Bill Mollison. When we designed the products for ecostore back in the early nineties, permaculture was the bar we were always trying to meet There are many principles in permaculture but I will share some of my favourites that we all can use in our homes: Nature doesn’t have a handy gardener coming along fixing up things that can’t look after themselves so when you set up systems always try to have them look after themselves Being a gardener can easily become a ‘make work’ situation, so how can we get rid of some of those jobs? A classic example is that nature never tolerates bare dirt. So adding mulch not only keeps out weeds and traps moisture but as it decomposes it adds food to your plants. Another example is the zoning system permaculture uses. Zone 1 is plants you visit every day whilst through to zone 5 maybe visited annually. Thus, the herb beds should be just by the kitchen door, the salad garden also close. But in my case, the forest we have planted for future timber use is zone 5, about 20 minutes' walk away. Choose plants that really suit your local ecosystem - I like to think of this as discovering useful weeds. Silverbeet is a great example, wack it in and it almost looks after itself. The way to find these plants is to talk to your local garden clubs about what plants they have found with these qualities. When you grow a crop, the plant that is healthiest, don’t harvest but let it go to seed and plant these seeds next year. After a few years of using this technique, you will have developed your own variety that loves the local ecosystem where you live. When I arrived at the land where we founded the eco village it was covered in kikuyu grass. Very virulent and a terrible neighbour for vege garden or young trees. Everyone said to use roundup, which I wasn’t prepared to do. Now grass is one of the world's only monocultures as it has many ways of driving out competitors including poisoning them and taking away their moisture. In fact, I never use grass in an orchard situation for these reasons and end up with unstressed disease-free trees. But the grasses have an ancient enemy. The pioneer tree which has evolved just to get into grass, grow tall, then shade out the grass so others trees can then come in. In NZ this is the Manuka and Kanuka. The bane of grass farmers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Preventing Leafcurl on stonefruit It’s extraordinary how many people ring our talk-back programme in spring and summer to raise the problem of leafcurl on stone fruit. And the answer will always be: “You’re too late!” Taphrina deformans is the fungus that causes this leafcurl. The disease becomes active at bud-break: when the leaves and flowers come out of the buds in spring. The spores of Taphrina deformans are already settled on those buds, making infection quite easy. Once the leaves are infected in spring, they become distorted and discoloured (pretty yellow and orange colouration); when infestations are serious the number of leaves that drop off can be substantial, causing a reduction in photosynthesis and hence the ability of the tree to “feed itself”. In spring, with young, infected leaves (which are soft and delicate) there is no point in spraying with copper fungicides as that will burn those leaves quite badly. Best thing to do is to remove and get rid of infected leaves as much as you can – especially fallen leaves. “Getting rid of them” does not mean COMPOSTING them!! Fertilising the tree in spring allows it to make new leaves and get some resistance to infection, especially when you use Seaweed Tea and such marine-originated liquid fertilisers. During the period when fruits grow and expand, check for fallen leaves that show signs of leafcurl, and get rid of them. REMEMBER “Getting rid of them” does not mean COMPOSTING them!! Autumn is the time to start controlling leafcurl on stonefruit for the next fruiting season: Around mid April, when the leaves are falling off the deciduous stone fruit trees, the new buds for the next season are formed. Taphrina deformans will then be invading those new buds and overwinter on those buds to infect the trees again in spring; First thing to do is to remove all fallen leaves from under the trees. That reduces infection chances. Next thing is to spray a double dose of copper spray (copper oxychloride, liquid copper, or copper-sulphur mixtures, available form garden centres) on the remaining leaves and on the branches/twigs of the tree. Don’t worry about “burning the rest of the leaves off: they were going to fall anyway. Use a “sticker” if you can to increase coverage and stickability Do this again a few weeks or a month later and ensure good coverage of all parts of the tree. Some people use Lime sulphur; that’s OK too as a winter clean-up; seeing the trees are getting to dormancy this Lime Sulphur won’t harm the leaves either; but I think that lime may not be a great material for apricots as it has the ability to raise the pH levels. A last smack of Copper spray before budburst should “mop up” the last surviving spores before the flowering and fruiting season begins again.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hannah McQueen gives her perspective on hiking interest rates following a life in the OCR this week.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, Elon Musk now wants the rest of Twitter now? What a bizarre two weeks it has been. After buying 9% of the company, being offered a seat on the board, then declining it, Elon Musk now made an unsolicited offer to buy Twitter for $43 billion. Boy, did people freak out. There are also questions about how he would finance such a deal... would it go on Tesla stock margin? But... Twitter is now saying not so fast! Just today it's filed with the SEC to change its shareholder rights plan to prevent that from happening. Now if 'someone' in the next year was to try and takeover the company they can flood the market with shares to make it much more difficult to purchase.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The North Water: Set in 1859, this BBC drama follows a disgraced ex-army surgeon who signs up as ship's doctor on a whaling trip to the Arctic, where he meets a harpooner whose amorality has been shaped to fit the harshness of his world (Rialto). Anatomy of a Scandal: Sienna Miller and Rupert Friend star in this new Netflix drama about the wife of a British politician, who’s privileged life unravels when scandalous secrets emerge and he is accused of a shocking crime (Netflix)Old Enough: This Japanese series might be a few years old, but it’s new to Netflix and an absolute delight. The show sends pre-schoolers on grown-up errands by themselves, and films the results (Netflix).LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex Honnold doesn’t experience fear like the rest of us. The free solo climbing legend shot to fame following the first ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite with no ropes. His latest project is called The Last Tepui. It follows Alex and a world-class climbing team deep into the Amazon jungle on a first-ascent climb up a 1000-foot sheer cliff. Along for the ride is biologist Bruce Means who’s on a mission to discover new species in a relatively untouched part of the world. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francesca Rudkin has been watching films that are part of the upcoming Volvo Scandi Film Fest.Diana’s Wedding Diana’s Wedding is a romantic comedy about a girl observing her parents’ turbulent marriage and dealing with how their relationship has affected her own ability, as an adult, to love, or be loved. July 29, 1981. Lady Diana Spencer marries Charles, Prince of Wales, at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. On that same day, Liv and Terje are celebrating their wedding too. In a pram lies their daughter, Diana, who like her famous namesake, has a chaotic life ahead of her. The Burning Sea In 1969, the Norwegian government announces their discovery of one of the world’s largest oil fields in the neighboring North Sea, launching a prosperous period of offshore drilling. 50 years later, the environmental consequences begin to manifest – a crack has opened on the ocean floor, causing a rig to collapse. A team of researchers, including submarine operator Sofia, rushes in to search for the missing and assess the cause of the damage, but what they discover is that this is just the start of a possible apocalyptic catastrophe. As rigs are evacuated, Sofia's loving companion Stian becomes trapped in the depths of the sea, and Sofia must dive in to rescue him. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne chats to Jack Tame about a message he's received from a young Ukrainian woman he met when filming Intrepid Journey in Ukraine in 2009. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the last five years I’ve lived in an apartment on the Karangahape Ridge, with amazing views across central Auckland.I’m very lucky. If I look North on a good day, I can see Tiritiri Matangi Island and even Hauturu Little Barrier. South is Maungawhau Mt Eden. South West is Eden Park. And dominating my view from the 16th floor is a view right down the guts of K Road.There’s always something happening on Karangahape Road. I can see the beautiful people walking their designer dogs or alfresco-ing in the afternoon sun. I can see people driving off in their new vehicles at the Tesla showroom. I can see drunks stumbling about on a Friday night, homeless people chatting to each other, and the clientele at both of the Peaches and Cream stores (It’s not who you might expect).I’m also afforded a unique view of the traffic.Over the last five years, Karangahape Road has changed. They’ve introduced partial bus lanes. They’ve built bike lanes in both directions. They’ve restricted parking. And watching on from the 16th floor, the effects on the traffic don’t take a PHD to decode. They’re obvious.Firstly - and this isn’t rocket science!! - buses are far and away the most efficient way to transport a lot of people in the city. When the traffic snarls and slows to a painful crawl, as it often does, I stare down at the cars as they sit there idling. One bus has ten or twelve times the capacity of a single sedan or hatchback. When it can use the K Road bus lane, it immediately overtakes the idling vehicles as they wait. Easy.Secondly, more often than not, the fastest way down K Road is on a bike. I often ride mine along the cycle path and stop at a few places on the way. If there’s bad traffic, in the time it takes a crawling car to travel from the Ponsonby Road intersection to Pitt Street, I can dismount my bike to collect a coffee and a heated cinnamon scroll and still beat them there. Happy Days.My third observation from on high, is that parking spaces are an excellent way to shut down an entire lane of traffic. It’s crazy. It’s so inefficient. K Road has clearways between certain hours, which open up the traffic to two lanes in both directions. When the clearways aren’t in place, in order for a handful of cars to park, the entire road has a lane restricted, and the traffic often snarls. At 2am on a Wednesday it’s not an issue. But at busier times, it often means cars are bumper to bumper for the length of K Road. It’s madness. The convenience of a few is prioritised over the convenience of hundreds or thousands more.Why am I telling you this? It’s not because I want to spend my long weekend wading through your hate mail. I know how transport changes get people going. Auckland is proposing changes to onstreet parking to some of its roads and from some of the initial feedback, you’d worry the World was ending. This is something all of cities have to consider, but even though the changes concern about 3.25% of roads in Auckland, they’re already facing stern opposition.Smarter lane usage in busy areas is such an obvious, cheap solution to the challenges faced by growing cities in a warmer climate. As our population increases, congestion and productivity and won’t improve unless we move people more efficiently.Maybe you can’t ride a bike. Maybe you have cargo and the bus is too awkward. Fine. They’re not banning cars. They’re not banning carpark buildings. You can still drive, find a spot, pay for the time, and walk a few minutes to your destination.The irony of the transport debate is that the loudest critics of bus lanes, cycle paths, and reduced street parking, are those who will actually benefit the most from the changes. If you are absolutely determined to remain glued to your steering wheel for every journey in the coming decades, it’s in your interests for councils and transport authorities to reduce congestion. Take it from the view on the 16th floor. Get with the times.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a new travel era dawns, it's going to take time for some Kiwis to confidently find their travel feet again. Mike Yardley shares his tips to get back into the swing of travel. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationship expert Steve Dromgool shares his advice about coming home and switching off from work and into family life. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People who are not familiar with the Science of naming bugs, plants, animals etc usually give creatures an (often random) “common name”.“Daddy Longlegs” is used in NZ for three different critters that are found all over the country and frequently encountered; all they have in common is rather long legs, but they belong to totally different animal groups. At this time of the year they are quite common in and around our homes.1) The Daddy Longlegs spiderSitting right up there near the ceiling and often in the corner of the corridor, the lounge, or… the bedroom; “EEEEKK!”I reckon it’s the most vacuumed invertebrate in New Zealand.Scientists call them “Pholcids” (after the Family name to which these spiders belong); also knows as cellar spiders, because they originally were found to live in cellars and such cave-like spaces where it is damp and dark. A good place to create a website to catch all sorts of flying insects for food. Their job is to function as predators, keeping insect populations “in check”When Homo sapiens (humans) came along we built our house in their territory and the spiders simply said “thank you” and moved in with us; they catch flies, moths and mosquitoes in their web. They’re on call 24/7 and far more efficient than those chemical-emitting aerosol cans on a timer-system.These spiders do a few really remarkable things: when the web is disturbed they gyrate their bodies very fast around and around, to put off the web-intruding creature. They make their webs very visible!!And… a female Pholcid wraps her dozen or so eggs with one single strand of silk and keeps that wrapped parcel in her mouth until the babies hatch – real maternal commitment!! She does not feed herself at all during this time.2) The Daddy Longlegs FlySiting on the external wall of your house – sometimes inside as well (open windows, lights on, attracting these large flies inside!)They are big flies with a wingspan of over an inch. Three body segments (head, thorax, abdomen) long legs and long transparent wings; it all looks a bit fragile…Scientists call them Tipulids or “crane flies”. Because they are true insects, they have a life-cycle that involves a complete metamorphosis: egg, larva (maggot), pupa (“chrysalis”) and finally: the adult, winged fly. Flies have only two functional wings (most other insects have four wings).They have evolved with their hindwings (halteres) shaped like a stalked “counterweight” that gyrates when they fly. It gives them great stability when they fly (a little bit like the tail rotor of a helicopter). When a crane fly sits still on the wall you can see the two halteres clearly.Adult crane flies often eat nectar (and could be pollinators of flowers); the larvae (maggots known as leatherjackets) usually eat rotting plant material (even dead wood!) and are therefore useful recyclers.3) Daddy Longlegs HarvestmanHarvestman may look superficially like a spider (it has 8 legs!), but is quite different (it has one body segment (spiders have two) and usually just 2 eyes, often set on a raised mound on their back (spiders 6 to 8 eyes on the front section of their body)They tend to move across your lawn and through the vegetable garden or in the forests. In New Zealand we have about 30 species that are endemic to New Zealand and 2 “exotics” from Europe. One of those is the “most typical” harvestman Phalagium opilio. Scientists call harvestmans therefore “Opiliones”.They do a great job in your garden: Harvestman is a predator, eating soft-bodied insects and often plant pests such as aphids and small caterpillars and even the eggs of pests, such as white butterfly eggs. They hunt at nightOne of the cool features of these harvestmans is the fact that their second pair of legs is a lot longer than all the other legs. These legs carry some sensitive organs which help the harvestman “navigate” through your garden;...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Campbell shares his pick of the week: Allan Scott 2021 Stellenbosch Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk buys 9% of Twitter and has made a billion dollars alreadyMonday he announced he had quietly started buying 73 million shares of Twitter spending around $2.6 billion.Tuesday he got a seat on the board.Wednesday his position was worth $3.7 billion. Wild.According to reporting from The Washington Post, employees are freaking out. They're concerned that the company’s culture will change and it will be harder for them to do their jobs. These companies are always worried about how "the street" will receive their product updates, but it won't be fun having such a vocal investor. To try and calm employees, Elon will host an AMA (ask me anything) - hopefully someone records it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Outlaws: A British comedy thriller starring Stephen Merchant and Christopher Walken, about a seven strangers thrown together to complete a community service sentence who get dragged into a dangerous world of organised crime (Amazon Prime Video) The Split: A new season of the British drama about The Defoes, a family of female divorce lawyers, who are forced to face their past following the return of their estranged father after a 30 year absence (TVNZ OnDemand) Our Great National Parks: Barack Obama narrates this new documentary series about the world's most breathtaking national parks and the wildlife that live there (Netflix). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

75-year-old Ruth Shaw has lived an incredible life - sailing in the Pacific and taking on pirates to suffering heartbreaking losses. She's since settled in remote Manapouri in Foirdland, where she runs three tiny bookshops. Ruth's been convinced to write her memoir and joins Jack Tame to chat more about her adventures. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Try one of these muffins, warm from the oven, and you will swoon I guarantee it! They are so evocative of an Easter bun, with the spices and currants, and then the surprise of a caramel egg in the centre is just pure genius! They’re a real Easter treat.Makes 12 regular muffins100g butter2 heaped tbsps golden syrup3/4 cup caster sugar1 cup plain yoghurt2 eggs2 cups flour1 ½ tsp baking soda1 ½ tsp cinnamon2 tsps mixed spiceZest of an orange1 cup currants12 little chocolate caramello Easter eggs, about the size of an apricot stone.1. Preheat the oven to 180 C fan bake. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin well.2. Gently heat the butter and syrup just until the butter has melted then mix in the sugar followed by the yoghurt and egg and beat until well mixed. Lightly stir in the dry ingredients including the zest and currants. Don’t over mix, just until combined.3. Spoon batter to ¾ fill into muffin holes and on each gently place an Easter egg, pressing it to submerge slightly. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until they spring back when touched.4. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin. Enjoy.TipBe a little careful and don’t eat these as soon as they come out of the oven as the lovely gooey centre is very hot!!LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards and witches. They soon encounter an array of old and new beasts as they clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers. Everything Everywhere All At Once When an interdimensional rupture unravels reality, an unlikely hero must channel her newfound powers to fight bizarre and bewildering dangers from the multiverse as the fate of the world hangs in the balance. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a Wellington restaurateur in the headlines recently about tracking down a customer who had been overcharged by $8 and wanting to refund her, Kevin Milne reflects on his own similar story.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The creeping pink line still fills me with dread.Every time I watch it, the viscous juice from the depths of my nasal cavity soaking up the paper, I feel a little panic as it passes the ‘T’.Is that a line? Even just a faint one? I’ll catch my breath. The liquid would soak up a few more millimetres.Kau. Karekau. Nope. No line. Nothing. Nada.When the history of this pandemic is settled and sorted, and the virus has been comprehensively studied, examined, sequenced, plotted, I’m tempted to imagine scientists facing one last great mystery: How the hell did Jack Tame not catch Covid?Honeslty, no one’s more suprised than me. Since the start of the Omicron wave in New Zealand, I have been on more than a dozen flights. I’ve travelled internationally. I’ve MC’d two funerals, which, despite Covid restrictions, are the sort of huggy-and-criey environments where people end up getting closer than they should if pandemic management is the only concern.I’ve been in two workplaces. And although the people who sit literally right next to me in the office have caught Covid, I haven’t. I’ve done more than my share of eating in restaurants. I’ve had regular, close contact with young school children. I’ve been worn down and emotionally beat, but every morning I wake up, surprised to find myself fit and ready to fight another day.It almost doesn’t seem real. I’ve done more than thirty RATs and so far, the results of every single test has been the same. One line. Not even a flirtation with a second. No Covid detected.If you’re the same as me, you’ll probably know there are plenty of scientific reasons as to why we may have avoided the virus. I’m vaccinated and boosted; that helps. But maybe we’ve had it and just never experienced symptoms. Maybe our immune systems are better suited to fighting the virus. Maybe we’ve hit a genetic lottery. Maybe our mask wearing and hand washing is par excellence.Speaking for myself, I have another theory. I think I’ve just been lucky. Although I wear an N-95 every single day, I still have clumsy moments.The numbers are dropping. Restrictions are likely to be eased. And it’s tempting, right? It’s tempting to relax. Maybe it’s even tempting to feel a little smug. I won’t be doing that – especially with the Easter holiday just around the corner. Because surely nothing tempts fate or the Pandemic Gods like writing an nationwide editorial about not catching a highly-infectious virus.According to the Ministry of Health, 672293 New Zealanders have tested now positive for Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. Of course, the true number of infections is likely to be much, much higher.If you’re like me and you still haven’t seen the line next to the ‘T’, don’t drop your guard now. Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Maybe we haven’t got Covid. Good for us! But we shouldn’t get complacent, either.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford has been spinning Unlimited Love by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers - their brand new album and first with guitarist John Frusciante since he left the band in 2009.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake and an incredible autobiography from Saudi Arabian woman Rahaf Mohammed, called Rebel.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has been hitting the road around Wanaka and shares his travel tips. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is wrong with meat?There are health issues with eating too much, especially processed meat but today we are talking about the eco and humane side of meat eating.So, what's the problem?Deforestation to make room for mainly beef farming is a global issue.Then factory farming , and yes even some cows in NZ can be fed indoors, using off farm grains and even orangutang jungle destruction palm oil by products. Palm kernel expeller. This is a very inefficient use of land compared to feeding these plants grown straight to us as food.Fossil fuels used for transportation, farm equipment, building, maintenance and heating the factory farms add to the eco burden. Methane emissions from the animals, especially cows, which is a very potent climate gas.And for factory farming the inhumane treatment of the chickens, pigs and now cows trapped in small pens living in their own filth. If you have ever raised your own stock and poultry, you know what a tragedy this is for these amazing animals.You have choices. Do nothing, buy only free range, choose only organic and regeneratively produced meat, go vegetarian or vegan or just reduce your current meat consumption. Probably some combination of these is practical for most of us.Our family eats some meat and here are some of the tips we use to reduce meat consumption.Don’t make meat the main event. It can be the side dish with more emphasis on the starch and vegetables.Beans and lentils are just so healthy. And so affordable. It’s really just about the recipes. Maybe time to buy that vegan cookbook or search online. Funnily enough, I know my usual recipes are a bit old-fashioned and could have been cooked by my Mum and definitely feature meat. Melanie is our plant-based cooking wonder but I’m getting better. It just needs to become easoer, then a habit.Maybe start once a week with a meat free day. Then add more days.Stews, soups and casseroles are easy to make and then just reduce the percentage of meat in them.Eat more whole foods. Brown rice, baked potatoes with their skins on, same with fruit eat the skin too . More nuts and seeds. The extra fibre in these helps stave off hunger pangs and we all know the health benefits of whole food.Have a weekly food plan. If it’s 5pm and you suddenly need a meal, then you will revert to the old tried and true.Don’t think of this as losing meat but what new delicious meals you are about to discover.I personally think the right regeneratively raised animal proteins can have a positive impact on climate change by trapping more carbon in the soil. And the animals are encouraged to behave like they used to in the wild so are much happier. Unfortunately not many farmers have adapted these practices as yet. But the reward will be guilt free meals when you do include this type of meat.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Bryan Betty says overseas research has shown a slight upswing in numbers of shingles cases two to three weeks after Covid-19.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mid-autumn – weather going “backwards” – moisture back in the soil, shorter days, longer nights, but still good warmth in the soil, which helps seed germination and plant establishment.Perpetual spinach or silverbeet will feed you for most of the winter; beetroot is a good winter crop too as is carrots. If you are in a warmer zone: sow now while the warmth is still in that lovely, friable soil. If you are in a cooler climate zone it might pay to get some seedlings and take advantage of that head-start. (Not seedlings of carrots, of course, as they don’t really transplant well at all)This is my time to plant broccoli, spring onions seedlings and lettuce (Cos works well for me); To get that head-start I will buy seedlings and keep them in their containers for a few days, outside on the deck, to “harden them off”, before planting.That reduces the shock after transplant.Broad beans can be sown too. They’ll even germinate at close to 0˚C! Good vertical plants that take not too much space and will keep on providing those pods. Need sturdy climbing frame.Soak seeds overnight in waterDepth around 3-4 cmMake the soil nice and friableSome slow-release fertiliser – just a little, please!Some broad bean varieties have lovely red flowers – pretty stuff as well as foodNON-EDIBLESTulip bulbs are getting to the “plantable” stage at this time of the year.They grow well in South island with very cool winters – up north they need winter chilling. In mild climates it pays to plant even later in the year – say: June)Narcissus is the spring bulb for planting NOW in the garden.Wait a little bit longer if you want to grow them in large pots: The soil temperatures will initially stay a bit higher in pots and speed things up too early.For most bulb species it is important to create some area with good soil that is light and “friable” with compost and some slow release fertiliser in it. If you want to mulch the soil, ensure it is not too heavy, so the flower stems can get through the mulch.Great bulb outlets: Bulbs direct/Garden Post/NZBulbs/Fiesta Bulbs/Hadstock Farm in SpringstonLISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dyson's releasing an air purifying headset The Dyson Zone is not an April Fools Joke - you'll be able to wear a headset with a mouth covering to purify the air around you. Noise cancelling headphones reduce the noise pollution, and contain small filters and air compressors to then send the air down in front of your nose and mouth via a mask. That mask sits just in front of your face, but can be swapped out for one that fully encompasses your face. There is absolutely no hiding that you're wearing it! Display your NFTs on your Samsung TV Samsung has announced a partnership with an NFT marketplace to display your art on your TV. I'm not sure how this is more than the ability to upload an image to your Frame TV.. but maybe there'll be more in the future including the buying and selling from your TV? Samsung says the TV will "optimize the settings for a faithful rendering of the artist’s intention". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slow Horses: Starring Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, this spy drama follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 due to their career-ending mistakes (Apple TV+).Julia: Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley, Coronation St) stars in this HBO Max drama inspired by Julia Child's extraordinary life and her show The French Chef, which essentially invented food television (Prime, from April 7).Screw: a British drama series about the shocking and often darkly funny job of working as a prison officer in an all-male prison in 21st century Britain (TVNZ OnDemand).LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turn up the volume to Kenyan-Kiwi artist Muroki’s tunes and you would be forgiven for thinking it’s summer all year round. The 20-year-old was the first to be signed to BENEE’s label Olive in 2020 and has had a whirlwind two years since. He’s currently across the ditch headlining his own shows as well as supporting BENEE and has just released a new single called Find Me. Jack Tame catches up with him in Australia. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writing with Fire - Oscar-nominated documentary. In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Chief reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful. The Duke - In 1961, a 60-year-old taxi driver steals Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. He sends ransom notes saying that he will return the painting if the government invests more in care for the elderly. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford has been listening to Kiwi artist Aldous Harding's new album, Warm Chris. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has been drinking wine and eating up a storm in Canterbury's Hurunui District. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Language of Food – Annabel Abbs Eliza Acton, despite having never before boiled an egg, became one of the world’s most successful cookery writers, revolutionizing cooking and cookbooks around the world. Her story is fascinating, uplifting and truly inspiring. Told in alternate voices by the award-winning author of The Joyce Girl, and with recipes that leap to life from the page, The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs is the most thought-provoking and page-turning historical novel you’ll read this year, exploring the enduring struggle for female freedom, the power of female friendship, the creativity and quiet joy of cooking and the poetry of food, all while bringing Eliza Action out of the archives and back into the public eye. The Tricky Art of Forgiveness – Meredith Jaffe After thirty years of marriage, can there be any secrets left? The charming new novel from the author of The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison Diana Forsyth is in the midst of planning the Big Party, a combined celebration of her husband Will's 60th and their 30th wedding anniversary. The whole family is flying in and unbeknownst to Will, Diana is planning a Big Surprise. But then she finds a torn scrap of paper hidden inside the folds of one of his cashmere sweaters, with the words, I forgive you. And all of a sudden, Diana realises she's not the only one keeping Big Secrets. As empty nesters who have just downsized from the family home, she and Will are supposed to be embracing a new promise of glorious freedom - not revisiting a past that Diana has worked very hard to leave behind. A witty, poignant and insightful exploration of marriage: the choices we make - or don't make, the resentments we hold, the lies we tell and what forgiveness really means. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does your partner avoid talking about feelings? Relationship expert Steven Dromgool shares his advice on how to get them to open up.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cicadas are on the wane towards the end of March – I still haven’t found the egg-laying site containing “Jack”s offspring ;-)But Black field crickets (Teleogryllus commodus) are still making a heck of a noise in the late afternoon/evening, especially in the North Island and top of the SouthTeleogryllus commodus (Supplied)You won’t see them often, as they hide in cracks in the soil during the day; when the sun goes down the crickets will come to the surface to eat grasses – they can do a lot of damage to pasture and lawns, leaving bare soil around their home cracks.Black field crickets make their characteristic noise by rubbing their wings together. (Mating calls!)Control is quite hard – In the old days, Farmers used wheat, soaked in Maldison, strewn over the paddock, in early summer (January is the month before crickets become adults and hence, reproduce!).For a lawn it might be a nice idea to pour water with a good dash of dish-washing liquid down the holes of these insects in the middle of the day; The crickets emerge in the non-day sun (because the soapy water stings their eyes, I reckon) and the sun will heat the black bodies up real quick (Natue’s Micro-wave oven!)Another “singer” in autumn is the Katydid (Caedicia simplex); mostly afternoon and early eveningIt creates a rather unique noise by rubbing the edges of its stiff forewings together, like a fingernail on a comb. The noise has the quality produced by a ventriloquist – the insect “throws its voice” so you can never be sure where it is calling from.Katydids feed on garden plants, especially flowers and they truly seem to like the roses and Dahlias that flower in autumn! They are well-camouflaged on green plants, so birds, frogs and lizards can find it tricky to locate them.After dark it’s the time for tree weta to start up their communications; A soft rasping noise that is repeated frequently by rubbing the impressive hind legs onto a raised “file” situated on the abdominal segments.Tree weta (Supplied)It is their way of keeping in touch with partners and flatmates while feeding at night. But sometimes they also make that noise when they feel threatened or disturbed: they raise their legs and warn you to “back off!!”The irony is, of course, we don’t really know anything about the “language” and communication capabilities of these weta… They’ve been around for 180 million years or so, making them one of our oldest critters in Aotearoa.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hannah McQueen from enable.me gives her advice on how to hold your nerve amid all the market volatility. Should you just sit tight and wait for it to calm down before making big investment decisions, should you go conservative while things are all over the show? Amid the Ukrainian invasion, sharemarket volatility and predictions of house price declines, is sitting on your hands or maybe putting your money under the mattress a good idea? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are we one step closer to being able to iMessage someone on WhatsApp?The EU has agreed in principle to a new law that would force interoperability between smaller messaging services and the giants of the industry. This would mean that a startup would be able to get into the iMessage or WhatsApp ecosystem. WHat's unclear is if that will mean the end of the blue/green bubble situation and force the ability to be able to contact someone using iMessage via WhatsApp. The Digital Markets Act also gives you the right to uninstall, more access to data, advertising transparency, reduces app store restrictions and will prevent "self-preferencing" - effectively allowing companies to put their products at the top of the page.Classic Instagram is back.. kindaDitch the algorithm! You can now see your IG feed in the classic reverse chronological order. You can also now add up to 50 accounts as 'favorites' to see first - luckily you won't be notified when you're added or removed from a favorites list. To change the view (and it's only temporary while you're in that session) tap the instagram logo and select either "following" or "favorites".LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taboo: A dark, gritty historical drama. Tom Hardy stars as adventurer James Keziah Delaney, who returns to London during the War of 1812 to rebuild his late father's shipping empire. However, both the government and his biggest competitor want his inheritance at any cost - even murder (Netflix).Life and Beth: Amy Schumer stars in this Disney+ drama. After a sudden incident, Beth, a seemingly successful woman with a long term relationship and steady career, takes a look back at her past to see who she wants to become.Bridgerton: A second series of Netflix’s record-breaking costume drama, created by Shonda Rhimes. During the Regency era in England, eight close-knit siblings of the powerful Bridgerton family attempt to find love.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You could recognise the dulcet tones of Canadian crooner Michael Bublé anywhere.Michael has just released his 11th album, called Higher. It’s a mix of covers, originals and collabs with the likes of country music icon Willie Nelson. He says he’s never been more excited after finishing an album. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Drive My Car Drive My Car is a 2021 Japanese drama-road film co-written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. It is primarily based on Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name from his collection Men Without Women. An aging, widowed actor seeks a chauffeur. The actor turns to his go-to mechanic, who ends up recommending a 20-year-old girl. Despite their initial misgivings, a very special relationship develops between the two. Night Raiders is now on general release In a post-war future, a mother joins an underground band of vigilantes to try and rescue her daughter from a state-run institution. Oscars are on Monday – who are the frontrunners? The 94th Academy Awards will be held on March 27 in Los Angeles. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I first came across this salad in a café in Melbourne that served the most exquisite Vietnamese-inspired dishes. It’s the perfect summer salad and the grapes I consider a nod to the days when Ho Chi Minh City was considered the Paris of the Orient.SERVES 22 boneless, skin less chicken breasts½ onion, chopped roughly1 stick lemon grass, smashed2 lime or young lemon leavesSalt & pepper50g rice vermicelli – soaked in boiling water until el dente (about 5 minutes) & drainedDressingJuice of two limes1 tsp sesame oil1 tablespoon grated palm sugar1 tablespoon fish sauce4 tablespoons coconut milk1 cup grapes , red or green, halved2 chillies – de-seeded & sliced1 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs – mint, coriander, Vietnamese mint,¼ cup crushed peanutsRemove the tenderloins from the breasts and set aside. Poach chicken by putting breasts in a pot and covering with water, chopped onion, lime leaves, lemongrass, salt and pepper. Bring to a slow simmer and simmer for 15 minutes (add the tenderloins about half way through). Allow to cool in the stock then remove and slice across the grain into 1 cm slices.Soak vermicelli in boiling water until soft. Drain well. Set aside.In a big bowl whisk together dressing ingredients - lime, sesame oil, grated palm sugar, fish sauce and coconut milk. Taste and check for balance of flavours. Add more acid (lime juice), sweetness (sugar) or salt (fish sauce) as required. Add the vermicelli, chicken, chillies and herbs and toss well. Garnish with peanuts and serve.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne recently offered to get groceries for friends isolating and discovered a few surprises on their list. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last year, in those fleeting months before Delta was discovered in the community and the Trans-Tasman bubble was closed, I flew to Australia and spent a few days with my grandma. It was just the two of us for four or five days. A grandma and her eldest grandchild, sixty years between us. By that stage, Granny was too frail to drive. I hired a car and we went on a few day trips together. She took me up to Kapunda, where the first of her ancestors to arrive in Australia settled almost 190 years ago. We went to a museum that celebrated the life of her best-known relative, Sir Sidney Kidman, a cattle barron who once had landholdings greater than the size of Australia. We lunched at our family’s favourite cheap Italian cafe, the first place I ever tasted gelato. In the evenings, Granny told me about her childhood. She was born in the 1930s on a remote station, 500km north of Adelaide. The closest property with other children was more than fifty miles away. As a girl, once a week there was a radio show that helped to direct Granny’s correspondence classes. In the mornings, Granny’s mum would help her to study. In the afternoons she’d play with her little brothers. As I think I told you last year, Granny had photos of the old camel trains which the workers sometimes used to get things to market. Granny died last week. I’ve spent the last few days driving all over Adelaide, taking her furniture to second-hand shops in the biggest truck I could hire. With my Mum and one of my sisters, we went through her house, room by room, shelf by shelf, drawer by drawer, through 94 years of memories: Diaries from her travels. Jewellery and knick-knacks picked up decades ago at exotic foreign markets. Paper clips and magnifying glasses and a thousand coat hangers. The trash and treasures of a rich life. From correspondence school on that remote sheep station, Granny never lost her hunger for education. She was the first female physics student at the University of Adelaide. She studied at Oxford. She earned a PHD. In the 1950s and 60s, she moved into a new exciting field of research and became a bit of a pioneer in her field. It was something to do with technology and information and there were myriad potential applications. Something called computing. My Grandad was a professor at the same university. I never knew it until this week, but in a professional capacity, so as to stand on her own two feet, Granny only ever used her maiden name for her work. And since she was a woman who worked full-time when that was still quite uncommon, Granny insisted on paying to have someone else do the housework. It was funny, at her funeral, to hear Mum call her a feminist. But she was. Of course, she was. A few years ago, in a university campaign for International Women’s Day, she even lived to see herself in billboard form. Death is hard. Her loss leaves a massive gap. But if I’m honest, the sadness I feel at Granny’s death is eased a bit, in knowing she had such a full life. I aspire to live a life as full as my Granny’s. And I feel grateful. Grateful that at an age and stage where I had genuine interest, I took the time to sit down with Granny. I listened to her stories. I looked at her photos. I paused and considered and appreciated her extraordinary journey, from the camels and the dust of her childhood to the cutting edge of computer science and beyond. For what it’s worth.. my advice is this: if you have someone in your life who’s getting on... a parent, a grandparent, an old friend. Don’t wait. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t put it off any longer. If you have to travel, travel. If you have to take time off work, so be it. It’s worth it. And you’ll never regret it. Sit down and ask for their story before it’s too late.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford has been listening to British singer Ella Henderson's new album, Everything I Didn't Say - her first in eight years.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jump – Larry Miller One of the most successful Black businessmen in the country, who has led Nike’s Jordan Brand from a $150M sneaker company to a $4.5B global footwear and apparel powerhouse, tells the remarkable story of his rise to the pinnacles of international business and reveals the secret that tormented him and defined his success. The Paris Apartment – Lucy Foley Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less-than-ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has been dreaming of overseas breakfasts and chats to Jack Tame about the world's iconic early morning meals. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malcolm Rands gives his tips on what we can do about the mounting waste from Covid.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lockdowns were great for Biodiversity – you’ll remember the stories about the return of dolphins in the canals of Venice etc. People went walking outside in parks; less use of cars – less pollution, birds coming into town.It was not so good for the Environment Business:Zealandia: Wellington’s most impressive restoration centre; 225 hectares of pure gold with endangered species returning to the city: Falcons smacking homing pigeons out of the air, Kaka all over the place – tui in huge numbersZealandia relies on visitors – THEY ARE LAUNCHING AN APPEAL – go and see the place, absorb the Nature that’s there, experience what Aotearoa used to look and sound like… and DONATEZealandia is INSPIRATIONAL and such a good tool for EDUCATION!!!Schools that do a lot of environmental education outside the classroom are also struggling with reduced contributions from parents in the pandemic years; my latest job-area is in teacher PLD (Professional Learning Development), especially trying to get us all to work with the Natural Resources we find in school grounds, related to the whole curriculum…There are hugely successful players (Look them up!!) in this area: BLAKE (Sir Peter Blake Trust), Enviroschools, Treemendous (Mazda Foundation), Garden-to-Table, Field Based STEM, Toimata Foundation etc.These organisations and initiatives are often sponsored by companies that “get it” and supported by Ministries (Education, Environment and DoC)But for your local school it might be useful to contact the principal or the Science team to see if you can contribute your skills to the “efficience of learning”Of course: learning outside is especially useful in Covid times due to reduced chances of transmission.One of my favourite examples of Nature-Nerdness are the raptors at the Bird of Prey Trust Wingspan in Rotorua. https://www.wingspan.co.nz/There you can see Falcons flying and hunting; they train kahu and rehabilitate injured birds that rely on flying skills to survive in the New Zealand Landscape; They even support one of our newest New Zealand Native birds: the Barn Owl, which is now firmly established in Northland.Wingspan also suffered huge losses of income during Covid, especially since they started to plan building an education centre.One of the way they fund-raise is by selling “raptor pellets”, usually to teachers that want to do something different in the biological classroom: Birds of prey (raptors) eat meat with bones, fur, feathers as well as the meat; they then regurgitate the roughage and indigestible materials as a “pellet”. These pellets can be teased apart and bones and other materials can be identified in the classroom, to identify the types of food that were eaten by the birds.Wingspan sent me a nice packet of barn owl pellets for my education work and I am going to give away a packet to five teachers in NZ that contact me with the best reason why they would like a packet;Address: [email protected] don’t forget your name, your school name and addressLISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netflix wants you to have your own account that you pay for, Currently you're allowed to share your account with your household, but not anyone beyond that. In Chile, Costa Rica & Peru they're testing what happens if they offer 'extra viewers' as sub accounts for a small fee. Netflix has seen their subscriber numbers plateau, share price drop and content costs continue to soar. Cracking down on password sharing might net them a new million more subscribers in the US alone. Microsoft Office is adapting to the new hybrid work trends Changes are rolling out to Microsoft Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint over the next six months to make flexible working a little easier. In Outlook, you'll be able to RSVP to a meeting as an in-person or virtual attendee so the organizer knows what to expect. Teams will have a new layout option to have remote people's video at the bottom of the big screen, as well as having notes and the chat window viewable. There'll also be new 'in-room' companion features you can use on your laptop. PowerPoint will allow you to put live video into your slides, like picture-in-picture. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holding: Based on the novel by Graham Norton, this comedy-drama follows the story of Irish police officer, Sergeant PJ Collins, a gentle mountain of a man who hides from people and fills his days with comfort food and half-hearted police work (TVNZ 1 on Sundays/TVNZ OnDemand). The Newsreader: launching on new free-to-air channel Eden, The Newsreader is an award-winning Australian drama set in a TV newsroom during the 1980s, as the professional and personal lives of two newsreaders become entangled (Eden, Thursday nights/ThreeNow). Joanna Lumley’s Britain: After a lifetime of travels that have taken her across the globe, Joanna Lumley is making her most personal journey yet, retracing old steps and exploring the wonders of the country she calls home (TVNZ 1 on Saturdays/TVNZ OnDemand). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.